Recent Posts

In January several long-awaited actions are likely: The Nebraska Supreme Court should rule on a suit challenging the right of the governor to approve the pipeline route; President Obama may decide whether to issue a presidential permit; and the House and Senate plan votes on legislation to approve the pipeline without a presidential permit.

It is perhaps the most ironic move in the industry in years. On Nov. 4, citizens in Denton – a city on the edge of the Barnett Shale in north Texas with a population of 123,000 – voted to ban hydraulic fracturing.

When it comes to downhole geology, little things matter. Those “things” would include the realm of microseismic measurements, because as unconventional plays and hydraulic fracturing become the norm throughout the industry, the need for microseismic imaging grows in importance. Companies large and small are constantly developing, testing and using this technology, hoping to add value to today’s efforts.

The idea of using lasers for drilling into the earth has long been to the oil and gas industry what flying cars and hoverboards are to the general public – the stuff of science fiction and futuristic fantasy. As 2015 fast approaches (contrary to what we were promised in the “Back to the Future” movies) we haven’t quite cracked the code yet on flying cars and hoverboards, but there might be a consolation prize in the works: Laser drilling may actually become a reality.

What’s new in downhole geology, you ask? According to the advertising and press releases that are sent throughout the media, there’s a lot that’s new – more, in fact, than we could ever cover. But since this is our annual Downhole Geology issue, we thought we’d take a look at some of the latest advancements in drilling, well-logging and other downhole innovations rolled out in recent months by a few industry heavy-hitters.

After many months of harnessing mind-bending ideas, a Houston-based team of engineers, geologists and geophysicists has developed technology to monitor hydraulic fractures from the surface and wellbore simultaneously. Adding multiple dimensions to the monitoring process, they say, allows operators to more clearly understand drainage patterns of hydrocarbons in shale reservoirs and, more importantly, know with greater certainty where to drill the next well, how to optimize completions and maximize asset value.

Pumps & Pipes brings together the newest technologies from the oil and gas, medical and aerospace professions in Houston to talk about something they all have in common: Problems. More specifically, members talk about problems because someone else in the room – from a completely different discipline and expertise – may already have found an effective solution.

In the age of 3-D seismic and digitized well logs, the value of cores and other rock samples may not be obvious. But benefits like those noted by the AAPG in 1948 and described in a 2002 National Research Council report and a recent congressional hearing continue to demonstrate the value of properly archived subsurface samples and data.

At first glance it seems there’s not much overtly new about drilling in the Mississippi Lime – or overtly new about the Mississippi Lime play, either, for that matter – a play that oozes from northern Oklahoma through southern Kansas (and some say, perhaps, to Nebraska).

Geoscientists, petrophysicists, engineers, and managers who are seeking to improve their effectiveness in exploring, appraising, and developing shale reservoirs will learn critical geoscience and engineering aspects to help quantify uncertainty to help book more reserves.

Here is an introduction to the tools and techniques that geologists and geophysicists use to locate gas and oil, that drillers use to drill the wells and that petroleum engineers use to test and complete the wells and produce the gas and oil. Exercises throughout the course provide practical experience in well log correlation, contouring, interpretation of surface and subsurface, contoured maps, seismic interpretation, well log interpretation, and decline curve analysis.

Here is an introduction to the tools and techniques that geologists and geophysicists use to locate gas and oil, that drillers use to drill the wells and that petroleum engineers use to test and complete the wells and produce the gas and oil. Exercises throughout the course provide practical experience in well log correlation, contouring, interpretation of surface and subsurface, contoured maps, seismic interpretation, well log interpretation, and decline curve analysis.

This course will focus on practical techniques to investigate and optimize fracture treatments. Participants in this course will have access to more than 200 published field studies in which the productivity and profitability of fields have been improved by altering the treatment design.

Here is an introduction to the tools and techniques that geologists and geophysicists use to locate gas and oil, that drillers use to drill the wells and that petroleum engineers use to test and complete the wells and produce the gas and oil. Exercises throughout the course provide practical experience in well log correlation, contouring, interpretation of surface and subsurface, contoured maps, seismic interpretation, well log interpretation, and decline curve analysis.

Geomechanics – in both completions and drilling operations – has become a critical technology in the development of Unconventional Plays. This course presents the basics of oil field geomechanics and its application to unconventional developments; specifically, the role of stress, pore pressure, mechanical properties, and natural fractures on hydraulic fracturing operations.

Here is an introduction to the tools and techniques that geologists and geophysicists use to locate gas and oil, that drillers use to drill the wells and that petroleum engineers use to test and complete the wells and produce the gas and oil. Exercises throughout the course provide practical experience in well log correlation, contouring, interpretation of surface and subsurface, contoured maps, seismic interpretation, well log interpretation, and decline curve analysis.

Here is an introduction to the tools and techniques that geologists and geophysicists use to locate gas and oil, that drillers use to drill the wells and that petroleum engineers use to test and complete the wells and produce the gas and oil. Exercises throughout the course provide practical experience in well log correlation, contouring, interpretation of surface and subsurface, contoured maps, seismic interpretation, well log interpretation, and decline curve analysis.

Here is an introduction to the tools and techniques that geologists and geophysicists use to locate gas and oil, that drillers use to drill the wells and that petroleum engineers use to test and complete the wells and produce the gas and oil. Exercises throughout the course provide practical experience in well log correlation, contouring, interpretation of surface and subsurface, contoured maps, seismic interpretation, well log interpretation, and decline curve analysis.

Online Training

This course is ideal for individuals involved in Midland Basin exploration and development. Successful development of Wolfcamp shale oil relies on complex inter-relationships (ultimately interdependencies) within and between a wide variety of scientific disciplines, financial entities, and company partnerships.

There are more approximately 1,000 oil and gas fields in the world that have been classified as "giant," containing more than 500 million barrels of recoverable oil and /or 3 trillion cubic feet of gas.

This e-symposium will focus on how surface geochemical surveys and Downhole Geochemical Imaging technologies can be utilized jointly to directly characterize the composition of hydrocarbons vertically through the prospect section.

This presentation will look at well placement vertically in the pay, well azimuth and well trajectory with explanations of how geology and post-depositional effects can make the difference between a successful well and a failure.

This e-symposium provides highlights of the hydraulic fracturing mechanics, analysis, and design, and is derived from a two and one-half (2-1/2) day course which is designed for drilling, completion, production engineers, engineering technicians, geologists, well-site and completion supervisors, and managers, who desire to possess a comprehensive and integral knowledge of Hydraulic Fracturing.